Town of Scarborough

Report from Public Works Department
OPERATIONS 2008—2009
Outside operations had another busy year with 1,175
service orders. The requests could be as simple as a pothole
or as complex as a drainage problem requiring engineering
studies. We do our best to respond promptly and one of our
goals is to make contact with callers within 24 hrs.
July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009
These men do so much more than work on Public Works’
equipment. When a new vehicle is delivered it usually
requires preparation before it goes into service. The work
can be as simple as two-way radio installation or as
complex as a full police cruiser set up. No matter the level
of difficulty, the vehicle maintenance staff has the expertise
to do it all. We feel fortunate that the town provides the
funds for training & tools that are required to maintain the
town’s wide range of vehicles & equipment.
SOLID WASTE & RECYCLING
Public Works’ demolition of the old
Scarborough Signs Building, Route one
While the operations staff was attending to the many
resident requests for service it also had it’s own list of road
maintenance work. Sweeping, ditching, paving, and road
striping/graphics are but a few of the annual operations
done on the 300+ lane miles of road in Scarborough each
year.
The weather was a challenge to the staff as well. As in past
years, winter proved to be a tough one. With 90 inches of
snow, we ended the winter with snowfall of approximately
30” inches above average. The snowplowing crew went out
a total of 24 times, used 1687.4 tons of salt and 5095.4 tons
of sand.
As if the snow was not enough, Scarborough was also hit by
a very serious ice storm. On December 17th the climate
was perfect for rain but just cold enough for it to freeze on
all surfaces. Trees, branches & power lines, weighed down
by an accumulation of ice, started coming down causing
numerous power outages and blocking many roads. As
with past natural disasters, all of the departments in town
efficiently coordinated their efforts to clear all main routes
as fast as possible.
Public Works’ first attempt to pick up the resulting roadside
debris lasted only one week. Snow storms overrode the
debris pick-up and the crews were called back to their plow
trucks. The end result was a Spring debris pick-up partially
funded by FEMA. During this time we collected
approximately 15,000 cubic yards of brush town wide.
VEHICLE MAINTENANCE
Once again the talented staff of the Vehicle Maintenance
Division kept the town’s fleet & equipment in top shape.
With our second full year of the Automated Trash &
Recycling Program behind us I think it is safe to say it has
been a success. With a recycling rate of 33% we have
diverted about 2,649 tons of material out of the waste
stream for a saving of $233,135.00. Although the market
for raw recycled material crashed, it is now starting to come
back. The market is tied to the economy like everything else
and as the economy gets better so will the recycling market.
The staff at EcoMaine are always looking for better markets
that will pay more for materials.
Hazardous Waste is another segment of the waste stream
that concerns us. It is these materials that poison our
environment if not disposed of properly. Once again this
year Scarborough residents had a choice of 3 days on which
they could dispose of old paint, antifreeze, gas, pesticides,
and other hazardous products. We continue to partner with
Biddeford, Saco, and Old Orchard Beach to keep costs
down. Regional programs like this are cost-effective, make
drop-off more convenient, and create more participation.
The program is offered 3 times (3 different seasons) each
year.
In addition to a cleaner environment, the Household
Hazardous Waste program fulfills Scarborough’s
requirements under the National Pollution Discharge
Elimination System (N.P.D.E.S.) permit. This permit is
part of the “Clean Water Act” created by the Federal
government. We are pleased to find that we can receive
multiple benefits from the hazardous waste program.
GIS
The Geographic Information System (GIS) Division of
Public Works maintains a town-wide collection of
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